Sayre Museum Hosting Model Train Event
SAYRE - Model Train Day will be held Saturday, November 24 at the Sayre Historical Society featuring two operating model train layouts, special displays, memorabilia vendors and more.
CAPTION: Model steam locomotives, like the one shown above, will be among the features at the Sayre Historical Society's Annual Model Train Day on Saturday, November 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is free. The hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two HO-scale model train layouts are permanent displays of the museum located in the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Station. The first includes a detailed replica of the Sayre station, the Desmond Street Park, and buildings on Desmond Street from the 1940's and 50's. It was built by Don "Buckshot" Murray, a Navy veteran who worked for General Electric and passed away in 2008. His wife was the former Nancy Springer of Sayre.
The second layout depicts a rugged coal mining operation and a small town typical of many communities along the route of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Located in the building's old baggage room, the layout was built by Charles Dixon and moved in two sections to the museum building and reassembled.
Another special display at the museum is the scale model steam locomotive "Donald" built over 100 years ago by the late Michael Gorman of Sayre and loaned to the Sayre museum by his great-grandson, Mick Koons. Built in memory of Mr. Gorman's five-year-old son, "Donald" is an operating model with moving driving rods, wheels and an accompanying music cylinder playing the song "Mr. Dooley." The century-old model has been on display in many places including the Wilkes-Barre LVRR station, movie houses and department stores in New York City, a model train convention in Niagara Falls, the former Interstate Fair in Athens, Bethlehem, Ithaca, Cortland, Buffalo and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1991, it was displayed at the first Sayre History Fair.
On the second floor of the museum, railroad memorabilia vendors will offer for sale a large variety of vintage railroad items.
Bob Gongleski of Vestal, NY specializes in LVRR ephemera including postcards, slides, photographs and books.
Bob Pastorkey of Trackside Photo will have a large selection of 8 x 10 black and white photographs for sale. The photographs cover the Lehigh Valley, D.L. & W. and Erie-Lackawanna railroads.
Permanent exhibits at the museum focus on Sayre history including the Robert Packer Hospital, Dr. Donald Guthrie, downtown Sayre businesses, Belle Knitting, Sayre churches, and an entire room devoted to the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
A special exhibit in the Rotating Exhibit Room focuses on "The Art of M. Louis Gore," a former Sayre resident who was a well-known local artist. The display includes numerous paintings, sketches and photographs from the Don Broughton Collection donated by Frank Evans of Sayre.
The museum is open Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday's from 10 to 4 p.m. For additional information, visit the museum website at www.sayrehistoricalsociety.org or go to Facebook.
The all-volunteer museum is member-supported and a recipient of funds from the Bradford County United Way and the Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency.
